Review | 4 witchy books from the world of science fiction and fantasy

Fortunately for anyone who feels the same way, there have been a lot of novels about witches coming out recently – and many of them feel brand new.

Science fiction, fantasy, thriller? Books we love but can’t appreciate.

To be sure, many recent witch novels have explored timeless themes: witches are untrustworthy and feared and must hide themselves from the world. But Giddings and other writers also uncover fresh layers of classic witch tales, exploring the complexity of anti-witch attitudes in a rich and timely way.

“The Woman Could Fly” is an absolute triumph. It takes place in a world similar to ours, but where anti-witchcraft laws are still the norm for policewomen. Any unmarried woman over the age of 30 is suspected of witchcraft and placed under surveillance and can no longer hold a job. No one is entirely sure if witchcraft is real, and the laws are inconsistently applied, which feels too believable.

Despite increasingly sinister hints of dystopia, Giddings conjures up a world that feels familiar. And along the way, she shows what anti-witchcraft crusaders really fear: our ability to create a better world if we work together.

The theme of community is also strong. “A highly secret society of corrupt witches(Berkeley), by Sango Mandana. At the center of the story is Mika Moon, who was raised under an unshakable law: witches must live apart from each other. Mika has never put down roots, constantly moving to avoid anyone learning about her magical powers. But when she’s hired to teach three young witches living in an abandoned house, she discovers how much better it is to be part of a witch family.

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The story is full of romance and chosen family, with just the right amount of thrill. Mika is an engaging protagonist, full of snark and fire, yet constantly shocked whenever anyone really cares about her. Reading about Mika slowly healing from the wounds of her loneliness is also a healing experience for the reader.

“Drowned Forestby Emily Lloyd Jones (Little, Brown) There is a magical caper set about Mir, the last living “water witch”, who can sense and control water. She has lived on the run for years, escaping forced labor at the hands of the merciless Prince Garanhir. Then the prince’s former spy comes up with a plan to steal the prince’s treasure from Mir, along with a team of miscreants including a corgi who may be a spy for the fairies. Lloyd-Jones uses her Welsh setting and her faerie mythology to great effect. But her keenly observed descriptions of water, from the sewers to the ocean, are what make “Drowned Woods” — a young-adult book perfectly suited for an older audience — something to savor.

Desideria Mesa’s “Bundle Pink Bruja(Harper Collins) Expands on the theme of characters hiding their true identities. Luna is the only member of her Mexican immigrant family who can pass for White. She changes her name to Rose and moves among the elite of Prohibition-era Kansas City. By day, she works as a newspaper reporter, and by night she runs a speakeasy—but she constantly has to hide who she is.

When gangsters and the Ku Klux Klan target him, he must find a way to access the magical powers he inherited from his grandmother. The story takes a while to get going, and the outlaw gangster talk feels broad at times, but Luna’s identity crisis, and the magical awakening that comes with it, is gripping and exciting.

We can’t have too many witchcraft books. Witches provide a powerful metaphor for infamous people forced to live underground. These four new books show us just how powerful it can be when these people find each other.

Charlie Jane Anders is the author of “Greater victories than death“And”Bigger dreams than heartbreak“The first two books in a trilogy for young adults. His other books include “City in the middle of the night“And”All the birds in the skyIt has won the Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, Lambda Literary, Crawford and Lux ​​awards.